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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 

Congressional Seed Distribution. 



PLAN OF DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SEED, AND 

CULTURAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT 

TYPES OF TOBACCO DISTRIBUTED. 



For several years the Bureau of Plant Industry and the 
Bureau of Soils have been cooperating in work looking toward 
the improvement of tobacco in this country. Under the 
direction of the Chief of the Bureau of Soils the tobacco seed 
for the forthcoming Congressional seed distribution was 
secured from carefully selected and matured plants, in accord- 
ance with directions issued by the Department to individual 
growers. The seed was obtained from the best localities for 
each variety, and a plan of distribution worked out whereby 
the varieties suitable for certain districts will be sent there. 

The following directions for the distribution and culture of 
the different types of tobacco have been prepared in the office 
of the Chief of the Bureau of Soils : 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SEED. 

The Congressional districts in which tobacco seed will be 
distributed and the varieties which it is believed are best 
adapted to these districts are as follows : 

Alabama : 

First district: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban, Connecti- 
cut Havana. 

Arkansas : 

Second, fifth, and sixth districts : Kentucky White Burley, 
Virginia Oronoco, Virginia White Stem. 



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California : 

Sixth and seventh districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida 
Cuban, Connecticut Havana. 

Connecticut : 

First district : Florida Sumatra. 

Second and fourth districts : Florida Sumatra, Connecti- 
cut Havana. 

Florida : 

First and second districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida 
Cuban. 

Georgia : 

Second district : Florida Sumatra, Florida Cuban. 

Illinois : 

Ninth district: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Ha- 
vana. 

Nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-second districts: Ten- 
nessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, 
Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Tennessee Clardy. 

Indiana : 

First, third, and fourth districts: Tennessee Oronoco, 
Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Tennessee Clardy, Kentucky 
White Burley. 

Kentucky : 

First, second, and third districts: Tennessee Improved 
Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Yel- 
low Pryor, Tennessee Clardy. 

Fourth and fifth districts: Tennessee Improved Yellow 
Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Yellow Pryor, 
Kentucky White Burley. 

Sixth, seventh, and ninth districts: Kentucky White 
Burley. 

Eighth, tenth, and eleventh districts : Tennessee Oronoco, 
Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Kentucky White Burley. 

Louisiana : 

Second and third districts : Kentucky White Burley, Ten- 
nessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Clardy, 
Florida Cuban. 

Maryland : 

Second and Sixth districts : Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Con- 
necticut Havana : 
Fifth district : Maryland Smoking. 

Massachusetts : 

First and second districts : Florida Sumatra, Connecticut 
Havana. 



Missouri : 

First, second, seventh, eighth, ninth, thirteenth, four- 
teenth, and fifteenth districts: Tennessee Improved 
Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Yel- 
low Pryor, Kentucky White Burley. 
New York: 

Twenty-fourth, twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, and 
twenty-ninth districts: Florida Sumatra, Florida Cu- 
ban, Connecticut Havana, Ohio Zimmer Spanish. 

North Carolina: 

Second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth districts: 
Virginia Oronoco, Virginia Sun Cured, Virginia Cigar 
Leaf Export, North Carolina Yellow. 

Ohio: 

First, third, fourth, and seventh districts : Ohio Zimmer 
Spanish, Connecticut Havana, Florida Cuban. 

Sixth district : Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Florida Cuban, Ken- 
tucky White Burley. 

Tenth district: Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Ha- 
vana, Kentucky White Burley. 

Fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth districts : Maryland 
Smoking, Ohio Zimmer Spanish. 

Twentieth district: Maryland Smoking, Ohio Zimmer 
Spanish, Florida Cuban. 
Pennsylvania : 

Sixth, seventh, ninth, tenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, six- 
teenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth districts : Ohio Zim- 
mer Spanish, Connecticut Havana, Florida Cuban, 

South Carolina: 

First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh dis- 
tricts : Virginia Oronoco, Virginia White Stem, Virginia 
Cigar Leaf Export, North Carolina Yellow. 
Tennessee : 

First, second, and third districts: Tennessee Improved 
Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Yel- 
low Pryor, North Carolina Yellow. 

Fc'.irth district : Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, 
Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Tennessee Clardy, Kentucky 
White Burley. 

Sixth district: Tennessee Improved Yellow Mammoth, 
Tennessee Oronoco, Tennessee Clardy, Kentucky White 
Burley. 

Fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth districts : Tennes- 
see Improved Yellow Mammoth, Tennessee Oronoco, 
Tennessee Yellow Pryor, Tennessee Clardy. 



Texas : 

First, second, ninth, and tenth districts : Florida Sumatra, 
Florida Cuban, Ohio Zimmer Spanish. 

Virginia : 

First, third, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth districts: 

Virginia Oronoco, Virginia Sun Cured, Virginia Cigar 

Leaf Exi)ort, North Carolina Yellow. 
Fourth, sixth, and tenth districts : Virginia White Stem, 

Virginia Sun Cured, Virginia Cigar Leaf Export, North 

Carolina Yellow. 
West Virginia: 

Third district: Virginia Oronoco, Virginia Sun Cured, 

North Carolina Yellow, Kentucky White Burley. 
Fourth district : Virginia White Stem, Virginia Sun Cured, 

North Carolina Yellow, Kentucky White Burley. 

Wisconsin : 

First, second, and third districts : Florida Sumatra, Florida 
Cuban, Ohio Zimmer Spanish, Connecticut Havana. 

CULTURAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT 
TYPES OF TOBACCO. 

Florida Sumatra Tobacco (Northern Districts). 

A very rich spot should be selected for the seed-bed of 
Sumatra tobacco grown In the North. In the early fall this 
plot should be plowed and divided into beds 6 feet wide and 
any desirable length, surrounded by a wall made of boards 2 
inches thick and 12 inches wide, set 2 or 3 inches in the 
ground. These beds should be highly fertilized with cotton- 
seed meal and stable manure, well spaded in to a depth of 6 
or 8 inches, and the whole covered with leaves, manure, or 
trash, to keep out the frost during the winter. About April 
1 this top dressing should be taken off and the bed again 
spaded and the soil well pulverized, after which another appli- 
cation of cotton-seed meal or cotton-hull ash should be given. 
This should be raked in and the surface made smooth and 
loose, making the bed ready to receive the seed. About five 
days before the time of sowing, the seed should be put to 
sprout in apple-tree punk, made soft with warai water. This 
should be put in a fruit jar and kept in a warm room. It will 
be observed that the seed will be slower in sprouting than 
domestic tobacco seed, and it will not sprout uniformly ; that 
is, all the seed will not sprout at the same time. It is best to 
wait until nearly all the seed is sprouted before sowing. Mix 
the seed with bran or cotton-seed meal and sow at the rate of 



2 tablespoonfuls of the seed to 100 square yards, after which a 
heavy roller should be drawn over the bed, thus packing the 
seed well into the soil, making the surface smooth and prevent- 
ing the rapid drying out of the soil which would otherwise take 
place. If the ground is dry it should be watered immediately 
after sowing the seed ; and this should be continued from time 
to time as the soil may require. In the absence of rain after 
the plants are up, watering should still be practiced. 

There are many enemies of the seed bed in the way of insects, 
so a careful watch is necessary. As soon as there is any ap- 
pearance of flea-beetles or horn worms, the bed should be 
sprayed with paris green mixed with water at the rate of 1 
tablespoonful to 2 gallons of water. In order to keeji down 
the insects, the bed should be sprayed at least three times a 
week. It is safer to protect these early beds with canvas 
stretched on frames made over and around the beds. 

When the plants are drawn for transplanting, great care 
should be taken to get as much root as possible. Each person 
doing this work should be provided with a bucket of water, 
and as soon as the plants are drawn the roots should be washed 
to remove all soil that may have stuck to them. The plants 
are then placed in a basket, roots down, and are immediately 
set out. The washing of the 7-oots is not generally practiced, 
but it has been found that plants live and grow better when 
the roots are clean. After each drawing of the plants from 
the bed, the soil should be watered, in order to close up the 
places from which the plants have been taken. 

The soil selected for this tobacco should be a light gray 
sandy loam or sand with a sand or clay subsoil, provided the 
clay is not closer to the surface than 12 or 15 inches. In order 
to produce a light, thin wrapper, the sandy soil must be very 
rich and a large quantity of fertilizer is necessary. The land 
should be broken up in November or December, allgwing the 
plow to cut from 4 to 6 inches deep, according to the nature 
of the soil and the quantity of fertilizer used. If a large quan- 
tity of fertilizer is used, such as cotton-seed meal and stable 
or barn manure, it should be thrown broadcast over the field 
and plowed in. This should be done about six weeks before 
the time of setting out the plants. Often a second application 
of fertilizer will be needed in order to give a continuous, rapid 
growth. 

The distance between the rows should be 4 feet and between 
the plants 12 inches. As it is always desirable to get a uni- 
form growth, great care should be exercised to have each plant 
live. If the ground is moist and showers frequent, watering 
the plants is unnecessary ; but if the ground is dry, they should 
be watered immediately after setting and, if possible, each day 



6 

thereafter as long as the plants may require it. After setting 
the plants they should not be disturbed for at least six days. 
If the soil becomes packed and hard, a furrow should be run 
on each side of the row, using a small, straight plow and let- 
ting it well down. This should be followed immediately by 
two sweep furrows, which will put the plants on a smooth 
ridge. The hoe is then used, carefully stirring the soil about 
the plants. Thereafter cultivation should be frequent and 
shallow. 

As the principal value of Sumatra is its wrapping leaves, 
great care should be exercised to preserve the soundness of the 
leaf. In topping the Sumatra tobacco, only the bud should 
be taken out and all the leaves allowed to grow. If the land 
is exceedingly rich it is found best not to top at all, but to 
allow the plant to go to bloom. It has been found by exper- 
ience that Sumatra tobacco should be harvested at an early 
stage of ripeness, as the leaf will cure riper and be more elas- 
tic ; that is, it will have more life. It is usual to take 4 or 6 
leaves at each priming, thus going over the field four or five 
times before the whole crop is harvested. 

As soon as the first leaves at the bottom of the stalk begin 
to ripen, harvesting is begun by plucking off, or priming, the 
first four leaves at the bottom and transporting them to the 
curing shed in baskets. There they are strung on strings 
attached to laths, from 30 to 40 leaves being allowed to a lath. 
The leaves are placed back to back and face to face, so as to 
prevent cupping or folding over each other. The laths are 
then hung in tiers in the barn, where they remain until the 
leaves are cured. 

When the tobacco is primed from the stalk, it should not 
take more than two weeks to cure ; when it is hung on the 
stalks, three to four weeks are necessary. The manipulation 
of the barn, or curing shed, is governed entirely by the con- 
dition of the weather and the nature of the tobacco ; j^o no 
fixed rules can be given. However, in a general way. it can 
be said that if a barn is filled with green tobacco and the 
weather is hot and dry, the ventilators should be tightly 
closed for about three days, by which time the tobacco should 
be quite j'ellow. The barn should then be opened at night 
and kept closed during the day. This is done to prevent rapid 
curing, which destroys the life of the leaf and gives uneven 
colors. If there are frequent showers and but little sunshine, 
the barn should be kept closed and fires started in small char- 
coal heaters distributed throughout the barn. These fires 
should be continued as long as it is necessary to keep the 
tobacco in proper condition. Where charcoal heaters are not 
available, wood which has as little odor and as little smoke as 



possible should be used. It is very important to dry out the 
barn without giving the tobacco any foreign odors. To obtain 
the best results, the tobacco should become fairly moist and 
fairly dried out once in every twenty-four hours. 

When the midribs are thoroughly cured the leaves are ready 
to be taken to the packing house. To get the tobacco in con- 
dition to handle, all the ventilators should be left open for one 
night, opening them about 6 o'clock in the evening. The next 
morning the tobacco should be in what is called "good case ; " 
that is, it will have taken up sufficient moisture to become 
soft and pliable. The barn is then tightly closed in order to 
retain the moisture and the leaves are taken from the laths. 
The bottom, middle, and top leaves should be kept separate in 
the barn. After the tobacco has been taken down and packed 
it should be taken at once to the warehouse for fermentation 
and baling. 

Florida Sumatra Tobacco (Southern Districts). 

The land for the seed bed should be preferably fresh, rich 
hammock, having a light gray soil, moist but not wet. Dry, 
thirsty land should be avoided. In selecting the seed bed it 
is best to secure land sloping from north to south, protected 
on the north by forests and open on the south to let in the 
midday sun. The time for sowing the seed is from March 1 
to April 15. Plants should be ready for transplanting about 
sixty days after sowing. 

One week before sowing the seed the bed should be 
thoroughly cleaned and all straw and leaves carefully raked 
off, after which the ground should be burned. This is done 
to destroy all grass and weed seeds or roots which might 
otherwise come up and choke the tobacco plants. The burn- 
ing is done in the following manner : 

After raking the surface well, skids are laid 4 feet apart, 
running the full length of the plat to be sown. A pile of 
wood is then laid across the skids, running the width of the 
bed. The fire is started, and as fast as the ground is 
thoroughly burned and covered with ashes the fire and wood 
are drawn along the skids, wood being continuously added. 
After the entire bed is burned the ground is again raked to 
remove the coals, letting the ashes remain. The soil is then 
spaded to a depth of 4 inches, all the roots and tufts being 
carefully taken out. If the soil needs fertilizing after the 
spading is completed (the seed bed should be very rich in 
order to give thrifty, healthy plants), such quantity of fer- 
tilizer as may be necessaiy is thrown broadcast over the sur- 
face. Any complete guano may be used. The bed is again 



raked with an iron-toothed rake to mix the fertilizer well 
with the soil and to have the surface smooth and loose. 

The bed should be divided into "lands" about 4 feet wide, 
leaving narrow walks between. Each land should be meas- 
ured to ascertain how many square feet it contains, and 
enough seed should be mixed with ashes to sow one land at a 
time, at the rate of 2 tablespoonfuls of the seeds to 100 square 
yards. This is the usual allowance for 1 acre to be planted. 
After the sowing is completed the bed should be rolled with 
a heavy roller. If the ground is dry it should be watered 
immediately after the sowing of the seed, and this should be 
continued from time to time as the soil may require. In the 
absence of rain, after the plants are up, watering should still 
be practiced. 

The manner of transplanting, the kind of soil to be 
selected, the methods of field culture, and the manipulation 
of harvesting and curing are the same in both northern and 
southern districts. 

Florida Cuban Tobacco. 

The seed bed for this variety of tobacco should be the same 
as that for the Sumatra in the South, and should be cleared, 
burned, and prepared in the same manner. The time for 
sowing the seed is from January 15 to March 1, and some- 
times as late as April. January and February sowings should 
give plants large enough for transplanting within sixty or 
seventy days ; those of March and April within forty to sixty 
days. Transplanting is done in the same way as with the 
Sumatra, except that the plants are set 14 inches apart. The 
same rules as to watering and earlv cultivation apply. 

When the plants begin to button, cultivation should stop 
Early or low topping is not desirable, as it throws too much 
growth into the leaves, making them large and coarse. There 
should be from 14 to 16 leaves to tlie stalk after the plant is 
topped. At this point suckers will start at each leaf, but 
these must be broken off at least twice a week. The battle 
with the worms, which was begun in the seed-bed, does not 
end until the tobacco is harvested. A careful watch should 
be maintained to keep all insects off the tobacco. 

This variety should be harvested and hung in the curing 
shed m the same manner as the Sumatra. If it gives promise 
of being " wrapper "—that is, if it is light green, very sound 
in leaf, and of desirable size— it should be primed at an early 
stage of ripeness. If, however, appearances prove that it will 
be "filler" tobacco, it should be allowed to get thorouahlv 
ripe. ® "^ 



9 

If the soil is rich and the season propitious, a second profit- 
able crop can be produced from the suckers in southern local- 
ities. As soon as the original crop is topped, suckers will 
sprout from each leaf. These, of course, should be broken off 
as soon as they appear, otherwise they will check the growth 
of the leaf. When all the leaves have been primed from the 
original stalk, except the four or six leaves at the top, two 
suckers should be allowed to grow from the bottom of the 
stalk. These two suckers will be well started by the time the 
top leaves of the original stalk are ripe. The stalk should 
then be cut just above where the suckers sprout and cultiva- 
tion shouhl begin at once, the soil being brought up around 
the old stubble. The suckers should not be allowed to have 
more than six leaves each. The growth of these will be rapid 
and they will mature quickly. When ripe the leaves should 
not be i^rimed, but the stalk should be cut. It is often the 
case, where the seasons are favorable, that the suckers will 
make a very fine quality for filler purposes. 

The same method of curing is used for both Cuban and 
Sumatra tobacco. 

Connecticut Havana Tobacco. 

The seed-bed for this type should be prepared by plowing 
it in the fall and sowing on a good supply of cotton-seed meal 
or some other good fertilizer. In the spring, as soon as the 
frost is out of the ground, the bed should be again j)lowed or 
harrowed with a cutaw^ay harrow and a small quantity of 
phosphate thrown broadcast upon it. The bed should again 
be harrowed and well raked. The seed should be sown about 
the middle of April. It is first sprouted by being put in apple 
tree punk or moist sand and kept in a warm room. Plants 
should be ready for setting in the field within six or seven 
weeks from sowing. The rows should be 3 feet 4 inches apart, 
and the distance between the plants from 16 to 18 inches. 
The tobacco is topped so as to allow from 16 to 18 leaves to 
the stalk. The average yield per acre is from 1,800 to 2,000 
pounds. 

The crop is harvested by cutting the stalks and letting them 
remain in the field until they wilt. Then they are hauled to 
the barn, where they are speared on laths, from 8 to 12 stalks 
being allow^ed to a lath. These are hung up in the barn 8 
inches apart. 

This tobacco is cured as follows : While the leaves are green 
the barn should be closed at night and during damp weather 
and opened during the day ; but when the tobacco is half 
cured, the ventilation should be reversed and the barn closed 



10 

during the day and opened at night and in damp weather. 
The tobacco should be fairly dried out and fairly moistened 
once every twenty-four hours. The curing is completed when 
the midribs of the leaves are thoroughly dry. 

The soil best adapted to the Connecticut Havana variety is 
a light sandy loam. 

Ohio Zimmer Spanish Tobacco. 

The seed-bed for this type, which is prepared in essentially 
the same way as that for the Connecticut Havana, should be 
sown from March 1 to April 15, and the plants ought to be 
ready for transplanting within eight or ten weeks. The rows 
in the field should be 3 feet apart and the plants 22 inches 
from each other in the drill. The tobacco should be topped 
when the seed- bud appears, leaving about 16 leaves to the 
plant. The average yield is 1,000 pounds per acre. 

The Zimmer Spanish tobacco is harvested and cured in the 
manner described for the Connecticut Havana leaf. 

The soil best adapted to the Zimmer Spanish variety is 
sugar-tree red uplands or "Miami clay loam" of the Soil 
Survey. 

North Carolina Yellow Tobacco. 

The seed-bed for this tobacco should, if possible, be selected 
on a hillside sloping from west to east or from north to south, 
so as to get all the morning sun and be sheltered from the 
cold west and north winds. The soil of the seed bed should 
be as rich alluvial virgin soil as can be had. The bed should 
be well burned and all the grubs taken out. A little 2-inch 
bull-tongue plow should be used to break up the soil in two 
ways so as to tear out all the roots, which should be raked 
out and the bed made smooth. To 100 square yards put on 
100 pounds of high-grade fertilizer and 2 barrels of well- 
rotted stable manure about 1 inch deep. Plow this in with 
the same bull-tongue plow and rake the bed carefully until 
the surface is level. After the sowing is completed a heavy 
roller should be drawn over the bed. 

The seed should be sown from the first to the middle of 
January and not later than the first of February. This will 
give plants ready for transplanting by April 5. Harvesting 
should begin from sixty to seventy days after transplanting. 
The rows should be 3^ feet and the plants 2^ feet apart. The 
average yield is 1.000 pounds x)er acre. 

Harvesting may be done by priming the leaves or by cut- 
ting the entire stalk. In priming the tobacco the leaves are 
stripped from the stalk in the field as they ripen, and are 



11 

• 

strung on strings attached to laths, about 30 leaves being 
allowed to each lath. These are then hung in the bam to 
cure. If this method is practiced, from 14 to 16 leaves may 
be matured on each plant. If it is desired to cure the tobacco 
on the stalk, the first four bottom leaves should be stripped 
off and the tobacco topped, so as to leave from 10 to 12 leaves 
on the stalk. In cutting the tobacco the stalk should be split 
from the top down to within a few inches from the last set of 
leaves, and then the stalk should be cut just below these 
leaves. The plants are hung on the lath by opening the 
split, 6 to 8 plants being allowed to each lath. These are 
carried to the barn, where they are hung in tiers. 

This tobacco is cured as follows : The barn should be heated 
to 100° and allowed to remain at that temperature until the 
tobacco colors well. The temperature should then be gradu- 
ally raised to 110° and retained until the desired colors are 
obtained. At 120° the tips of the leaves on the first tier 
should show signs of drying, and at 125° all the leaves on 
the first and second tiers should be dry. At this point the 
barn should be gradually heated to 145°, a pause of several 
hours being made at 140°. By this time all the leaves in the 
barn should be dry, but in order to kill the stem the tem- 
perature should be raised 5 more degrees. Then a rapid rise 
should be made until 175° is reached, at which temperature 
the tobacco should be thoroughly cured. 

The soil best adapted to this type of tobacco is a light-gray 
sandy loam^ 

Maryland Smoking Tobacco. 

Prepare the seed-bed for this variety as for Cuban tobacco, 
sowing the seed from February 1 to March 20.* The other 
operations in the production of the two types are the same up 
to transplanting. The Maryland smoking tobacco is trans- 
planted from May 15 to June 1, in rows 3 feet apart, the 
plants being given a distance of 20 to 24 inches from each 
other in the drill. The plants should be topped so as to 
leave about 16 leaves to the stalk. The average yield is 1,000 
pounds to the acre. 

In harvesting this tobacco, the plants are cut and four rows 
are thrown together. Thej'' are then speared on sticks, from 6 
to 8 plants being allowed to the stick. Care should be taken 
that the plants are not crowded too closely on the sticks or in 
the barn. The sticks are hung about 8 inches apait in the 
barn, and after the tobacco is half cured they can be put closer 
together if necessary, say about 4 inches apart. It generally 
takes about two months to cure this tobacco sufficiently to 
strip. 



12 

Tennessee Types (Yellow Pryor, Oronoco, Clardy, 
Improved Yellow Mammoth). 

The soil best suited for the seed-bed of these types is rich, 
friable, black virgin loam or sandy soil with a southeiii expo- 
sure. The time for sowing the seed is from March 1 to April 
15. The preparation and management of the seed- bed are the 
same as for Cuban tobacco. The plants should be ready for 
transplanting about May 10. The rows in the field should be 
placed 3i feet apart each way. Ten days are necessary for 
the plants to establish themselves in the soil, and at the end 
of that time cultivation with the i^low should begin; after- 
wards the hoe should be used. The field should be worked 
first one way and then the other. 

About six or eight weeks after transplanting the X)lants 
ought to be ready for topping. This is done by pinching off 
the bud, leaving 8 or 10 leaves to the stalk, not including the 
leaves at a distance of (5 inches from the ground. All suckers 
should be kept off the plant. 

The tobacco should be allowed to get thoroughly ripe before 
harvesting, which is done in the following manner: Split the 
stalk down from the top to within a few inches of the last set 
of leaves. Cut two rows, laying the plants right and left, and 
when wilted hang the plants on laths, from 8 to 12 stalks to 
a lath. These should be laid in small piles at a suHicient dis- 
tance apart to allow between them the passage of a wagon, 
on which the laths are loaded and carried to the curing shed. 
Care should be taken not to cut the plants afte#a rain or in 
the hot sun. 

This tobacco is cured as follows : After it has been hanging 
in the barn four or five days, slow fires should be kindled 
under it, and at the expiration of twenty-four hours the heat 
should be gradually increased until 150^ is reached. The leafy 
part and one half the stem should be cured in three days and 
nights. After this the tobacco should be allowed to come in 
"order" (soft and pliable) and be dried out by fires. This 
alternation of getting the tobacco moist and drying it out 
should be kept up for three or four weeks. This tobacco is 
cured by open wood fires, made by placing two logs side by 
side and building a fire between them. Open-fire heat is pre- 
ferred for all tobacco to be sent abroad. 

The soil best adapted to these types is a strong, rich loam 
with a deep reddish subsoil. 

Kentucky White Burley Tobacco. 

The seed-bed for this variety of tobacco is selected and pre- 
pared as in the case of the Cuban type, the only variation 



13 

being in the time of seeding, which for the Burley is limited 
to February. 

As soon as the plants are well rooted, cultivation should 
begin, and this should be continued during the growing sea- 
son, so as not to allow the soil to become crusty and hard. 
The plants should not be permitted to bloom, but should be 
topped as soon as the button appears, leaving from 14 to 16 
leaves to the stalk. 

The tobacco should be allowed to become thoroughly ripe 
before harvesting. It is harvested in much the same way as 
the Yellow Pryor and other Tennessee types, but no fire is 
used in its curing, which is accomplished by simply hanging 
in the barn. 

Virginia Types (White Stem or One Sucker, Oronoco, 
Sun Cured, Cigar Leaf Export). 

The situation and kind of soil best suited for the seed-bed, 
and the methods of its preparation and management, are the 
same for all these types as for the Cuban tobacco, but there 
are some differences in the time of sowing the seed and in the 
manner of cultivating, harvesting, and curing the different 
varieties. 

White Stem or One-Sucker Tobacco. — Seed should be planted 
from January to March. Plants should be set in the field in 
rows 4 feet apart and given a distance of 3 feet in the drill. 
The plants should be topped, so as to allow from 8 to 12 leaves 
to the stalk. The average yield is 1,500 pounds per acre. 

About fourteen weeks elapse between the time of transplant- 
ing and of harvesting, as this tobacco should be thoroughly 
ripe when cut. The crojj is cut and harvested in the follow- 
ing manner: The stalk is split from the top to the last set of 
leaves, and severed about 2 inches below the split, or just 
below the last set of leaves. Hang the stalks on laths by 
opening the split, 7 or 8 plants being sufficient for one lath. 

The curing is done as follows : Put the tobacco in the barn 
as quickly as possible — before it begins to turn yellow. After 
the barn is filled, build a fire of dry oak or other hard wood 
and make it hot enough to scald the leaves. About five hours 
of firing at a temperature of from 150° to 155" will usually 
scald the leaf. Then diminish the heat and keep a slow fire 
in the barn until the stalks are cured. Forty-eight hours are 
required to perfect this cure. 

The soil adapted to this type of tobacco is a sandy loam 
with a red clay subsoil. Without such subsoil the tobacco 
will have a dull, slaty color, while with it the tobacco will be 
rich, glossy, and much tougher. 



14 

Oronoco Tobacco. — The time for sowing the seed is from 
February 1 to April 15. Plants should be ready for trans- 
planting sixty days after sowing, if the season is favorable. 

In the field the distance between the rows should be 3^ feet 
and between the plants in the drill 3 feet. The plants should 
be topped so as to leave from 8 to 10 leaves on the stalk. 
Fifteen hundred pounds per acre is considered a good crop. 

The tobacco is cut in the same way as the White Stem 
variety. When the plants are wilted, one man walks between 
the rows, holding the lath on which the plants are to be hung. 
The hanging is done by two other men, who walk to the right 
and left of the one carrying the lath. When the laths are 
full they ar6 carefully laid on the ground, two or three to- 
gether. They are then loaded on a wagon and carried to the 
curing shed, where they are hung in tiers. From 6 to 8 stalks 
are allowed to a lath. 

This type of tobacco is usually cured with a small fire in 
the barn. Slow fires should be started and kept burning until 
the leaf is well yellowed; then the temperature should be 
increased until the leaf is cured and the stalk is brown. 
After this it is only necessary to have enough fire during the 
early morning to dry out the leaf until the tobacco is thor- 
oughly cured. From twenty to thirty days are required to 
complete this curing. 

A soil with a stiff clay subsoil is adapted to the growing of 
this tobacco. 

Sun Cured Tobacco. — The time of sowing the seed is from 
February 1 to April 15. Plants should be ready for trans- 
planting in about ninety days after sowing. The i-ows should 
be 3 feet 3 inches apart and the plants in the drill 2 feet. The 
plants are topped so as to leave 10 to 12 leaves to the stalk. 
The average yield is 1,000 pounds per acre. The crop is cut 
and harvested in the same manner as the Oronoco type. 

Curing is effected as follows: When the tobacco is taken to 
the curing shed it is crowded together and allowed to remain 
until it is quite yellow. Then the barn should be opened or 
the tobacco should be hung on racks in the sun until cured. 
Sun and dew are preferred for curing sweet-flavored tobacco. 
From five to eight weeks are required to effect this cure. 

The soil best adapted to this type of tobacco is a medium, 
sandy soil that is high enough to give good natural drainage. 

Cigar Leaf Export Tobacco. — Seed should be sown from 
January 1 to March 15. Plants should be set in rows 3^ feet 
apart and given a distance of 3 feet in the drill. The plants 
are topped so as to leave 8 or 10 leaves on the stalk. The 
average yield is from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds per acre. The 
method of harvesting is the same as for the previous types. 



15 

The tobacco is cured in the following manner : It is hung 
in the barn until it yellows uniformly; then a slow fire is 
started and continued until the leaf is cured. From three to 
five weeks are required for the curing of this type. 

The soil best adapted to this tobacco is a gray loam with a 
red clay subsoil. 

COMMERCIAL USES OF THE DIFFERENT 
VARIETIES OF TOBACCO. 

Florida Sumatra tobacco is used almost exclusively as a 
wrapper for domestic cigars. In the southern districts the 
thick or broken leaves may be cured for filler purposes. 

Florida Cuban is essentially a filler tobacco for domestic 
cigars, although much desirable wrapper is produced from 
this type in the southern districts. 

Connecticut Havana is grown entirely for wrapper and 
binder pui-poses for domestic cigars. 

Ohio Zimmer Spanish is used exclusively for filler for do- 
mestic cigars. 

North Carolina Yellow is used for pipe smoking, chewing, 
and cigarettes. The most valuable leaves are those used for 
wrappers for plug tobacco and for all-tobacco cigarettes. 
This type was formerly grown almost wholly for the domestic 
market, biit now a considerable export trade is maintained 
with England, Japan, and other countries. 

Maryland Smoking tobacco was formerly used to a large 
extent for domestic pipe smoking, but the principal market 
is in two or three of the "Regie " countries, France taking the 
bulk of the crop. 

The Tennessee types are principally exported. 

The Virginia types are used to a very large extent in the 
domestic markets for smoking and chewing tobaccos and 
snuff. Considerable quantities, however, are exported, espe- 
cially the heavier and cheaper grades. 

Kentucky White Burley is used for pipe smoking, chewing, 
and cigarettes. The bulk of the crop is consumed in our 
domestic markets, but considerable quantities are exported. 

RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT 
ON TOBACCO. 

The following publications are available for general distri- 
bution : 
Farmers' Bulletin No. 60. — Methods of Curing Tobacco. 
Farmers' Bulletin No. 82. — Culture of Tobacco. 
Farmers' Bulletin No. 83. — Tobacco Soils. 



JAN 17 1902 

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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